Taft Elementary

Taft Elementary is one of the intimate K-5 schools in Redwood City, California, one of the schools within Redwood City Elementary, with 357 students on its rolls from grades K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 23% below the state mean of about 465.

Redwood City Elementary runs 12 schools in total, collectively educating 6,378 students. Taft Elementary is one of those campuses.

On the student-mix side, Taft Elementary shows that nearly all students (94%) are Hispanic. That is visibly more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 25%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school lists 17 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 21.1:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 22.3:1 average. An estimated 94% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against San Mateo County (around 34%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Taft Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 23.6% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 15.5%.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for San Mateo County put median household earnings sit near $158,855, roughly 54% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 4% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Taft Elementary is one of 176 public schools in San Mateo County (combined enrollment of about 82,403 students).

The closest other public school is KIPP Excelencia Community Preparatory, roughly 0.6 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Taft Elementary at 3rd of 5; the average score across the group is 40.8%.

The school occupies a high-density site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Taft Elementary has increased 9%, going from 329 students in 2018 to 357 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 25.3:1 in 2018 to 21.1:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, posts here usually surface around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.